Last Updated on May 23, 2022 by Parentology

The costs of caring for a newborn, maternity and even conception is high in Singapore, and thus the government offers various financing schemes to help Singaporeans with these costs.

These schemes are typically covered by the Medisave or MediShield plans available for Singaporeans, while the Assisted Reproduction Technology Scheme is a government co-founded scheme.

Read on more to find out about the types of plans available for Singaporeans:

 

MediSave Maternity Package

The Medisave Maternity Package covered the delivery expenses of a mother, as well as pre-delivery medical expenses such as consultations and ultrasounds.

It is available for those seeking out these services in both public and private hospitals.

Those under the scheme can withdraw up to S$900 for pre-delivery medical expenses, and an additional surgical withdrawal limit ranging from S$750 to S$2,600 depending on the type of delivery procedure.

They can also withdraw funds for the hospital stay. This includes up to S$550 per day for the first two days of admission, and S$400 per day from the third day onwards.

The hospital will submit these bills to the CPF Board, together with the delivery expenses. To claim the pre-delivery charges, simply present the bills incurred for the pre-delivery medical care to the hospital where the baby was delivered.

 

MediSave Grant for Newborns

A MediSave account will automatically be created for a baby that is born as a Singapore Citizen. Upon registration of birth, a MediSave grant of S$4,000 will be deposited into the account.

This grant is typically used for defraying the cost of the child’s healthcare expenses, which include recommended childhood vaccinations, hospitalization fees, MediShield Life premiums, and approved outpatient treatments.

You should receive a notification that a MediSave account has been set up for your baby within 90 days of registering for the baby’s birth. If you have not, you can enquire with the CPF Board.

 

MediShield Life Coverage from birth

MediShield Life is a mandatory basic health insurance that helps Singaporeans pay for large hospital bills. It also includes selected costly outpatient treatments such as dialysis and chemotherapy.

All Singapore Citizen babies are automatically covered by MediShield Life from birth.

Parents can utilize the MediSave Grant for Newborns to pay for the baby’s MediShield Life premiums.

There are also Premium Subsidies available for lower-to-middle-income families in Singapore, to better help them afford the premium for the first four years.

The government will provide Additional Premium Support for those who are unable to pay for their share of premiums even after the subsidies

 

MediSave for Assisted Conception Procedures

The MediSave for Assisted Conception Procedures helps couples better afford the cost of treatment for Assisted Conception Procedures (ACP).

A couple may withdraw S$6,000 for the first cycle, S$5,000 for the second, S$4,000 for the third, and subsequent cycles from the patient’s or the patient’s spouses’s MediSave account.

There is a withdrawal limit of S$15,000 per patient for ACP.

However, if a couple is undergoing the ACP in public assisted reproduction centers, they can receive up to 75% in co-funding from the government.

These centers are located at the National University Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital .

If you would prefer to go to a private hospital, the co-funding scheme will not apply. However, patients are still able to withdraw from their MediSave accounts to fund the treatment .

 

ACP co-funding by the government

The co-founding for Assisted Reproduction Technology covers procedures such as in-vitro fertilization and its variations, as well as gamete intra-fallopian transfer.

The funding can be considered for all standard procedures. These procedures can range from ovarian stimulation, the thawing of the embryo or embryo transfer.

The co-funding will cover the Intrauterine Insemination procedure for a maximum of up to three cycles and the Assisted Reproduction Technology treatment of up to three fresh and three frozen Assisted Reproduction Technology cycles.

As to why the number of cycles is set to three, it is set based on the typical clinical practice where couples usually try three cycles of Intrauterine Insemination before moving on to Assisted Reproduction Technology .

Meanwhile, the funding is capped at three fresh and three frozen for the Assisted Reproduction Technology as the success decreases with each additional cycle and age. The co-funding for three fresh and three frozen cycles allows couples to freeze and store excess embryos from fresh cycles. They can then later follow up with frozen treatment if necessary .

If the patient is 40 years old and above, up to two out of six Assisted Reproduction Technology cycles can be co-funded. However, this is only if the patient has attempted the treatment or an Intrauterine Insemination procedure before age 40.

According to the Ministry of Health, the age criterion of 40 years old aims to strike a balance between the clinical evidence on reduced efficacy with increase in maternal age, but at the same time providing support to couples who may be unable to receive ACP early .

 

Criteria to be eligible for the ACP co-funding

This is the criteria you have to meet for the Assisted Reproduction Technology co-funding:

• You have to be below the age of 40 at the start of the cycle (except for the last two cycles for couples where the wife had previously attempted an Assisted Reproduction Technology/Intrauterine Insemination procedure before 40)
• You have not already received three co-funded fresh and frozen cycles in the past
• You have been accessed by a doctor to have met the clinical requirements for Assisted Reproduction technology
• You or your spouse has to be a Singapore Citizen at the start of the cycle

 

This is the criteria you have to meet for the Intrauterine Insemination co-funding:

• You have to be below the age of 40 at the start of the cycle
• You have been accessed by a doctor to have met the clinical requirements for Intrauterine Insemination
• You or your spouse has to be a Singapore Citizen at the start of the cycle

 

ACP funding amount

The amount of co-funding depends on the citizenship status of the patient or her spouse, and can be broken down in the table below:

	Both parties are Singapore Citizens	One party is a Singapore  Citizen and one is a Permanent Resident	One party is a Singapore Citizen and one is a Foreigner
Fresh Assisted Reproduction Technology cycles	75%; up to $7,700	55%; up to $5,700	35%; up to $3,600
Frozen Assisted Reproduction Technology cycles	75%; up to $2,200	55%; up to $1,600	35%; up to $1,000
Intra-Uterine Insemination	75%; up to $1,000	55%; up to $700	35%; up to $500

 

Conclusion

Childbirth and child rearing are expensive affairs, and so is the process of assisted conception.

Thus, it is important to be aware of the schemes available to aid you and your spouse in the process.